Korean Job Discussion Forums

[AtmaWeapon]

A couple months ago I was given 2 days off to go to Tokyo, for which I will be leaving in a couple days. Today I brought up taking off a day or two in July and my supervisor informed me that I was not allowed any more days off of my choice under any circumstances.

Essentially, she said the "10 days vacation" on the contract is really only 2 days of your choice, with an additional 3-6 days (non-holiday) when the hagwon is closed. The remaining days you aren't allowed to take at all and are forced to just take the "bonus" unused vacation days at the reduced pay of ~75k for each day at the end of the contract.

Here's what the contract says:

[Wildbore]

As long as they give you 10 days paid vacation they are not breaking the contract.

If they give you less, then I would suggest suing in small claims for compensation for the remaining days.

[amnsg2]

I'm not sure calling the labor board immediately is the best idea, and it might be easier to try and smooth things over with your boss first. The contract says that the dates must be arranged in advance with your boss, not that the academy gets to choose whether you take them or not. Tell your boss that they can choose what days you take off, but you are taking them. Sit down with a calender and have them blocked off.

If you don't care about getting fired or other hagwon tricks played on you, then go for the rest of the 10 days and nothing less. If you want to keep from rocking the boat, maybe accept 1 or 2 days less. It's like a game, you have to negotiate your best deal.

Don't do what I did, and just accept it. I only got 2 out of 10 days at my last contract and it was awful. I learnt, and in my new contract I had the specific days listed.

[Wildbore]

The Annual Leave provisions in the Labor Standards Act only apply to businesses with 10 or more full time employees.

Very few Hagwons are that large, he likely won't receive any help from the Labor Board regarding vacation time.

In my opinion, the contract is the negotiation, it is the meeting of the minds, there is no reason to negotiate more. Koreans are just incompetent when it comes to legal obligations. One more reason to sue them.

[AtmaWeapon]

[luckylady]

I'm very curious what the LB will say because personally, I think you're just pretty much stuck.

it's very common for teachers to be expected to take their holiday when the school closes - it's just that many hakwon directors are absolutely oblivious to the notion that in other countries people take holidays of their own choosing from time to time, not always when the company says so.

part of the problem (not saying it's justified, just why it's this way) is because the hakwons charge parents by the number of hours taught to their kids and bill on a weekly or monthly basis. no teacher, no lesson. this is also why some teachers are asked to pay for sub teachers when they aren't there for whatever reason and is tantamount to why so little sick and holiday pay are even provided for at all.

obviously your hakwon has had problems with this in the past - hence they added in the contract the language they did and also why your director was quick to point out the other teachers had accepted this. they want you there all the time and to hell with your life, needs, etc.; they don't exist or matter.

you say you aren't going to stay the full contract anyway so you may not care what transpires until then but again, you surely would prefer to do it on your terms, and not deliberately make things that much worse, now would you? or even risk being fired and upsetting your plans altogether?

chalk it up to experience and next time detail out exactly what you want and expect in vacation time. I think this is probably the number 1 reason many teachers go for public and private schools as opposed to hakwons.

[ttompatz]

The labor board won't do anything at this point since you have not been there long enough to actually qualify for vacation days and until your year is complete they won't be in violation of labor law.

If you work the 1st year without an absence you are entitled to 15 calendar days leave with pay.

If you have had any absences you get 1 day of annual vacation for each month worked.

.

[big_fella1]

[AtmaWeapon]

Spoke again with my supervisor today (haven't yet called the labor board). After pointing out the exact language in the contract she backed down and basically told me it is possible to take additional vacation days, but the director would not approve of it unless it was for a "good reason," such as family visiting. I do not have family visiting or anything of that nature, so essentially I would have to lie in order to take vacation days. I requested a day off in July and she told me she would talk to the director but the request would probably be denied because apparently going to Caribbean Bay or Everland with my gf is not a good enough reason.

Counting down the days until I leave this country for good and never again have to deal with this BS...

[Whistleblower]

I thought that in the Labor Act, that employees were entitled to 1 day off a month (the equivalent to 12 days a year), not the usual 10 days a year.

When I worked with one large organisation, I was allowed 1 day off a month (I could stack them and use 5 days off). After a year, I was entitled to 15 days off a year plus the one day off a month.

I guess it depends where you work. If you decide to work at a reputable organisation and they have the manpower to cover classes, it shouldn't be a problem. If you work for a small family business, then you have to display some flexibility.

[AtmaWeapon]

[luckylady]

some only want to give 5

there was a time when a teacher needed to actually specify having vacation days together as weekdays - that is, a hakwon would try and say you take Wed- Tues rather than M-F and the accompanying weekend.

my first hakwon tried to do that - luckily the outgoing teacher warned me and we worked it out ahead of time.

[Wildbore]

[AtmaWeapon]

[some waygug-in]

When I worked in hagwons, not one ever, EVER gave holidays

except under very specific circumstances.

Those were as follows;

You were allowed holidays if you could arrange a substitute teacher for those

days. I worked at a large hagwon and we would have to fill in for teachers who got their holidays.

If it's a small haggie, it's pretty tough to do, but if you can arrange a sub-teacher, it may be possible.


I looked at it this way, If I lasted the year with no breaks, I was finished with the place and would take 2 months off to travel or what not.
I didn't worry about 10 days of supposed vacation. With all the new regs
though, this is not so easy to do. It means new docs and all that every time you change jobs. eeyuuww. *~*